Preemie Triplets Living Happy, Healthy Life in Gaylord

A group of triplets and their parents now call Northern Michigan home.

Two year-olds Eleanor, Josephine and Rosalie Buursma are settling into their family’s new home in Gaylord.

And their parents are thanking some University of Michigan doctors for the opportunity to enjoy life with their happy, healthy girls.

“We went for our first ultrasound they told us we were having twins and obviously it was a shock and a few weeks later we went in for our next ultrasound and I’ll never forget the tech, she’s like, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but we found another one,” Victoria Buursma, said.

It was more than two years ago, when soon to be parents Victoria and Kody Buursma found out they were having triplets.”

“He was white as a ghost,” Victoria, laughed.

Now Josie, Rosie, and Ellie are three of the happiest little girls you can find they’ve even gained quite the following on their “Triple the Fun” Instagram page.

But things were a little scary early on, the triplets were born premature.

“When you have babies who are born three months earlier you have so many concerns,” Victoria, added.

Josie and Rosie had a condition known as plagiocephaly, or flattening of the head, likely caused by the many months they spent in the NICU.

“They were so little when they were born, they’re skulls were still super soft and not fully developed,” Victoria, explained.

Thankfully a team of doctors at the University of Michigan had developed adjustable helmets for babies with this condition.

Rosie and Josie took to their new accessory so well, even Ellie felt a little left out.

“She didn’t have a helmet so she would climb up behind her sisters and take the helmets off their head, because she wanted one, so we tried our best to give her bows,’ Victoria, added.

The girls wore them up to 23 hours a day for a few months, but now they’re helmet-less and displaying their once hidden locks.

“It was exciting, just seeing their hair. They are healthy they are the size of your normal two year-old, they are running jumping, playing, fighting wanting to dress up, they are awesome,” Victoria, said.

The University of Michigan team led by Orthotist Ammanath Peethambaran are now working on a new 3-D model of the helmets, to reduce the cost so more kids can live as happy as these, now Northern Michigan triplets.